Will of Iron
by Alpharius
Summary: Short story following Battle Brother Almarich of the Iron Templars Chapter as together with his squad he must defend Marcus Square from the vile Black Legion.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Warhammer Universe

Will of Iron

**Planet Luvia, Elsalius,**

**Marcus Square**

**08:29 [Imperial Standard**

'In the name of the Immortal Emperor you shall not falter!'

Chaplain Diocletian's voice rang out clearly over Tactical Squad Sevarius, amplified by his helmet speakers. Despite the carnage that surrounded them, despite the roar of bolter-fire and the thunder of distant artillery the chaplain's voice could be heard with crystal clarity.

The voice of the Emperor.

Battle brother Almarich Daceus slammed another clip into his holy bolter and lifted it to his shoulder, looking out over the smoking, ruined Marcus Square. A shell smashed down by the glorious statue of an Imperial hero. Blackened and bloodied bodies were scattered across the square. Buildings crumbled and blazed, thick columns of black smoke drifting lazily from the shattered shells of once mighty Imperial structures.

The enemy were hunkered down on the other side of the square, dark shapes amongst the ruins. They were the heretic Marines of the Black Legion. They were blasphemous traitors, twisted by the powers of Chaos. Millennia ago they had turned against the God-Emperor in the most bloody civil war imaginable.

A deep, ancestral hatred for the servants of Chaos gripped Almarich's heart and he fired a burst of bolter rounds in the direction of the enemy. He fired again and again, gritting his teeth as the bolter buckled in his grey gauntlets like a thing possessed. Spent casings were ejected from the gun in a crescent arc, clattering against the ground at his feet. Ducking down behind a ruined wall, Almarich glanced across at Chaplain Diocletian who was stood with an armoured boot on the wall. In one hand he clutched a bolt pistol and in the other his crozius arcanum, a chaplain's badge of office.

'Only in death does your duty end!'

The chaplain was a terrifying figure of zeal and purity. His armour was black, the faceplate of his helmet shaped into a skull. He raised his crozius arcanum to the blood red sky above.

'In the name of the Emperor purge these heretics! Cleanse this world of their taint!'

His words were pious, inspiring the Space Marines of Tactical Squad Sevarius to fight on with a renewed vigour. Glancing out across the square again, Almarich knew that such inspiration would be in vain if they could not be supported by reinforcements soon.

It was only a matter of time before the enemy broke them.

'Brother Juldon, bring your heavy bolter to bear!' Sergeant Sevarius ordered, his voice firm and commanding.

Juldon swung his massive heavy bolter round and aimed it at the distant enemies. He opened fire, hammering the ruined building which contained the Chaos Marines with powerful heavy bolter rounds that punched through the cracked plascrete. The screams of the Black Legionnaires were lost amidst the consistent chugging of Juldon's heavy bolter.

It was the only sound that could be heard in this hellish place. Gunfire, the chatter of bolters punctured occasionally by the boom of shell impacts. This had once been a vast Imperial city and the planet's industrial core. Now it was a smoking ruin; a mere shadow of its former, glorious self. The forces of Chaos had come seemingly out of nowhere and invaded the planet Luvia, slaughtering the world's planetary defence force and butchering the civilian population in a bloody crusade that crippled the planet. Fortunately, a strike force of the Iron Templars Space Marine Chapter was close enough to receive the distress signal sent out. They headed immediately for Luvia with all speed, eager to bring death to the traitors of the Black Legion.

When they arrived, they found a world gone mad.

Its surface was ravaged and its cities were burning. Its citizens were either dead or fleeing en masse to the planet's spaceports. The Imperial Guard defence force had been torn in two: those loyal to the Emperor and those who had offered their fealty to the Dark Gods of Chaos.

At the centre of all this anarchy was the Black Legion.

The Iron Templars' first priority was to secure the capital city, Elsalius. Once that was returned to Imperial hands the Iron Templars could set about liberating the rest of the planet from the forces of Chaos.

However, the Black Legion had entrenched themselves in the city and seemed reluctant to give it up. So now the battle for the city had come to a stalemate, with neither side willing to give up and neither side able to suppress the other.

_But it was only a matter of time. _

Almarich was snapped back from his reverie by a deafening explosion that cast rubble and debris in his direction. Instinctively he raised an arm up in front of his faceplate to protect himself. A large slab of rockcrete smashed into his left shoulder guard, scraping at the Iron Cross, the insignia of the Iron Templars.

In the wake of the explosion, the Chaos Marines filled the square with a hail of bolter fire, raking the ruins that Squad Sevarius had chosen to take cover in with powerful rounds that punched through the crumbling rockcrete. Before Brother Pelagius could avoid the incoming storm of fire, he was struck several times in the chest, the sheer force of the impacts throwing the Space Marine onto his back.

Immediately Almarich rushed to Pelagius's side, ignoring the enemy fire that streaked over him. The Marine clamped an arm across his chest, his breathing heavy with effort as his enhanced body tried to repair the damage it had sustained.

'Emperor damn those heretics…' Pelagius cursed.

'Brother, stay with me,' said Almarich.

It was no use. Without the aid of an apothecary, Pelagius would die. His wounds were simply too grievous.

'Don't bother, Almarich… The Emperor has willed it… My duty ends here…' Pelagius gasped.

'Your bravery will be remembered, brother, I promise,' said Almarich.

The wounded Marine made the sign of the Aquila across his chest plate with a shaking hand. 'Ave… imperator…'

Unconsciousness took Brother Pelagius, plunging him into a sleep that Almarich knew he would never wake from.

'Hold, brothers!' came the chaplain's voice as he bellowed over the chatter of heavy weapons fire.

There was another explosion, and another shower of debris and rubble. Someone screamed over the vox link.

Almarich ducked instinctively as a bolter round sent fragments of rockcrete spinning in his direction. He crouched down behind the low wall and glimpsed the Black Legionnaires. They were advancing across the square, keeping their weapons raised and firing short bursts to keep Squad Sevarius pinned down. There was another explosion that filled the vox channel with static. The enemy were on the verge of overwhelming the Iron Templars' position.

Almarich would not allow it.

Lifting his holy bolter to his shoulder, he tracked the heretic Marines as they crossed the square, passing by the statue at the very heart of Marcus Square.

Muttering a prayer for Brother Pelagius and whispering a verse from the Rites of Battle, Almarich opened fire. One of the dark armoured Chaos Marines crumpled and fell. He adjusted his aim, gunning down another two in quick succession. Still they came on, laughing and howling blasphemous chants to their gods.

'For the Emperor!' Chaplain Diocletian roared, stepping up onto the wall after being knocked flat by an explosion.

Muzzles flashed in the distance, but Almarich didn't even flinch as bolter rounds hammered the wall he was half-concealed behind. _While vile aliens still live, while obscene mutants still breathe, while the hearts of blasphemous heretics still beat, there can be no rest for the righteous. _

Squad Sevarius was now laying down controlled salvos of fire that cut down several Traitor Marines in only a few minutes. The enemy advance faltered, as the last Black Legionnaires were eventually felled by the disciplined volleys of the Iron Templars.

But it wasn't the end. There were still more of them. They moved into the ruins on the opposite side of the square, dark shapes moving amongst the smoke. No, the end was still far from sight.

There was a deep, throaty rumble somewhere off to Almarich's left. He ignored it at first, concentrating on the heretics on the other side of Marcus Square. That was until it came into view, rolling across the rubble-strewn road, belching black smoke from its exhausts. The Black Legion Predator tank swivelled its turret-mounted autocannon at Squad Sevarius. Chaos runes were painted in blood across its black hull. The muzzles of its weapons had been transformed into leering faces. Severed heads and skulls that were impaled on spikes and displayed like hideous trophies adorned the Chaos tank, inspiring fear into the hearts of lesser men.

The autocannon barked as it fired, tearing a chunk from a ruined wall close to where Chaplain Diocletian was stood, showering him in slabs of masonry. The second shot blasted out the low ruined wall beneath the chaplain's armoured boots. The third shot ripped straight through Brother Helbron's breastplate, casting his broken body several paces back. The fourth shot tore through the banner of the Iron Cross that fluttered above Sergeant Sevarius's head.

Almarich's breath was caught in his throat. The vile heretics had dared defile the sacred insignia of the Iron Templars.

The fifth shot never came. The Predator tank turned its heavy bolter mounted side sponson towards the Iron Templars' position, and waited for Squad Sevarius to emerge from cover while the Black Legionnaires advanced again, climbing from the ruins on their side of the square.

Almarich knew that none of the weapons that Squad Sevarius possessed would be able to put a dent in the Predator tank's armour. Perhaps with Brother Juldon's heavy bolter, but not even Almarich's blessed boltgun could scratch the Chaos tank. So without the means to destroy it, the Predator could cover the advance of the Black Legionnaires, allowing them to cross Marcus Square in safety.

Chaplain Diocletian dragged himself from under the chunks of broken and shattered masonry that had fallen upon him as a result of the Chaos Predator's attack. The eye lenses of his skull-shaped faceplate glowed brighter than ever. Almarich could feel the fury emanating from the chaplain like a deadly aura.

'Brother-sergeant, we cannot allow those blasphemous heretics to best us here. Marcus Square cannot fall to the Arch Enemy. I shall not allow it,' said Chaplain Diocletian, his voice deep and commanding.

Sergeant Sevarius, who had been knelt beside the fallen body of Helbron, turned to the chaplain. 'Whilst we lack heavy weapons, brother-chaplain, we lack the means to destroy that tank, and the means to halt the enemy advance.'

'If the Predator is occupied with a new target, it will allow you and your brethren to bring your weapons to bear on the approaching Chaos Marines.'

The sergeant frowned, 'And how do we distract it?'

Chaplain Diocletian hefted his crozius arcanum, and his eye-lenses seemed to turn scarlet red.

'I will, brother-sergeant.'

- - - - -

At first, Sergeant Sevarius had objected. The other Iron Templars remained silent, unsure how to interpret the chaplain's suggestion. Was it a sign that all was lost, or was it a sign of hope? Almarich wasn't sure, but he knew that Chaplain Diocletian was the most devout and pious man he had ever known. His duty was to the Emperor, to the glory of the Imperium and to the future of mankind. He was willing to devote his life to the fulfilment of his duty.

Eventually the sergeant had given in. The chaplain was resolute. He would not shrink in the face of evil.

The Chaos Marines had passed the statue now, and were rapidly closing in on the Iron Templars' position. Almarich prayed to the Emperor for protection, and he prayed for Chaplain Diocletian. He prayed for Brother Helbron and Brother Pelagius, and all the brave men and women who had given their lives in the defence of this damned world. They would be avenged; Almarich vowed that they shall not have died in vain. The Iron Templars would purge Luvia clean, and scour it of the taint of Chaos.

The chaplain was gone, disappearing in amongst the ruins to come up on the Predator's flank. Squad Sevarius kept low and in cover, racking their bolters in anticipation. Almarich could hear Sergeant Sevarius whispering verses from the Rites of Battle. A chill wind whistled amongst the burnt-out shells of the buildings that surrounded Marcus Square. There was the sound of heavy ceramite boots pounding the rockcrete. Something giggled.

They were almost here.

'I'm in position, brother-sergeant, at the Predator's right flank,' came the chaplain's voice over the vox link.

'Understood, brother-chaplain,' said Sevarius quietly.

There was a long pause. 'Let them taste the Emperor's wrath, Squad Sevarius. In the name of the Most Holy Emperor cleanse these heretics.'

There was a roar over the vox moments before the chaplain closed the link. With righteous fire blazing in his heart, Almarich pulled back the slide on his boltgun with a resounding click. Sergeant Sevarius raised his chain sword.

'For the Emperor!'

As one Squad Sevarius rose to its feet and opened fire with a sound like thunder. The first line of Black Legionnaires was cut down in an instant, in a mere few seconds. The Chaos Marines turned for cover as an unrelenting storm of bolter-fire filled the square, tearing chunks of masonry from the statue and ringing against the metal obstacles that were scattered around.

The boltgun kicked furiously in Almarich's gauntlets, but he kept his aim straight and true. The enemy faltered before the firepower of the Iron Templars, and their advance came to an abrupt halt. Over all the noise, Almarich was sure he heard the bark of an autocannon. He sent up a prayer for Brother-Chaplain Diocletian, and continued to administer the Emperor's justice to the traitorous heretics.

- - - - -

The Chaos attack had failed. Not a single Black Legionnaire had survived, their corpses strewn across the square in tangled heaps. The chaplain's plan had worked, but there was still the matter of destroying the Predator. Almarich wondered if the chaplain was still alive, or if the Chaos machine had felled him. If it had, then he had died a hero's death, and he had fallen honourably in the Emperor's service. His sacrifice will not be forgotten, his brave actions carved into Almarich's memory.

_Never forget, never forgive._

Sergeant Sevarius looked out across Marcus Square. They may have weathered the storm of the enemy's latest attack, but there would be more. It was a small victory, and had delayed the inevitable. Nothing more.

'They will come again at nightfall, under the cover of darkness, and try to catch us off our guard,' said Sevarius.

'You are sure?' Almarich asked, gazing out at the square.

'The Enemy are cautious now. They know that we are not as weak as they first suspected.'

The sergeant fell silent. He had been in a solemn mood ever since the failed Chaos attack. There was clearly something on his mind. Perhaps, like most of Squad Sevarius, he feared that Chaplain Diocletian had fallen. Almarich decided it was best not to ask.

'What are your orders, brother-sergeant?' Almarich asked instead.

'We are vulnerable here,' he said eventually, 'our cover has somewhat… diminished.'

The low ruined wall had all but collapsed. The ruined buildings around them had mostly crumbled into heaps of rubble. It would be a wise decision to relocate.

'Understood, brother. Where do you suggest we re-deploy to?'

Sergeant Sevarius paused for a moment. He nodded to something across the square.

'We will make our last stand there.'

Almarich followed his gaze, and saw the crumbling ruins of the Cathedral of Saint Joan.

- - - - -

The Cathedral of Saint Joan had been constructed to commemorate the young saint who had once saved the planet from a great and terrible darkness that had plunged Luvia into anarchy and turmoil many centuries ago. The legends say that she saw the Emperor in a vision, and that He told her she would restore order to the world. In a strange turn of fate, evil had once again come to Luvia, but instead of Saint Joan, the Space Marines had come.

The cathedral itself had once been a glorious tribute to Imperial architecture, with its towering spires and its colourful stained-glass windows depicting the planet's illustrious history. The leering heads of gargoyles peered down from above the great doors of the cathedral like ancient, ever-vigilant sentinels.

After discovering that the Chaos Predator had mysteriously disappeared from Marcus Square, Sergeant Sevarius had led the approach on the cathedral. Half-expecting to be ambushed at any minute by the foul servants of Chaos, the Iron Templars had covered every angle. They had taken no chances.

Slowly and cautiously they had entered the ruined cathedral, bolters raised at all times. It was empty and abandoned, and it was a shame to see such an impressive cathedral transformed into a crumbling ruin, falling into disrepair and disuse. _The Chaos scum will pay._

Squad Sevarius fanned out and secured all the entrances to the cathedral silently and efficiently. Sergeant Sevarius himself climbed the steps to the ancient altar at the far end of the holy place. Almarich watched him for a moment, wondering what was going through his mind. It was expected of Sevarius to hold Marcus Square against the Black Legion. But it was no simple task. Especially when Squad Sevarius was outnumbered and without support.

A large statue of Saint Joan loomed over the altar, depicting her clad in shining armour and with a golden sword raised in her hand. Feathery, angelic wings could be seen unfurled behind her. Sergeant Sevarius gazed up at it for a moment, his banner fluttering in a light breeze that came in through the broken windows of the cathedral.

Almarich bowed his head and turned away. Was it here, in this holy place that Squad Sevarius would make its last stand? Was it here, before the Saviour of Luvia that they would fulfil their duties to the Immortal Emperor?

_Only time would tell. _

**Planet Luvia, Elsalius,**

**The Cathedral of Saint Joan, Marcus Square**

**16:54 [Imperial Standard**

Luvia's sun, a bright star called Magna, was low in the sky now. The blasphemous servants of the Ruinous Powers had not revealed themselves for some time. It seemed that Sergeant Sevarius's prediction was becoming reality. Perhaps the Black Legion would strike in the dead of night. If they did, they would not find their prey so easy to overcome.

The cathedral had been a wise decision, or so it seemed. Every angle of the square could be covered and monitored by the Iron Templars. There was still no sign of the Chaos Predator, or Chaplain Diocletian for that matter. It gave Squad Sevarius hope that perhaps the chaplain was alive, but what was more important was that he had clearly managed more than just distracting the enemy tank. Again Almarich found himself praying for the brave chaplain. He truly was a warrior of the Emperor.

Together with Brother Delpheus, a veteran of many campaigns, Sergeant Sevarius was beginning to draw up battle plans and establish a proper defence. He wasn't going to let Marcus Square fall into the hands of the enemy, not without a fight. Almarich felt proud be under the command of such an honourable man. Every member of Squad Sevarius was willing to die for the Emperor here if necessary. If this was to be their end, then they would make it such an end as to be worthy of remembrance.

It had been some time now, many days in fact, since Squad Sevarius had been detached from the rest of the Iron Templars' strike force that had assaulted the capital of Elsalius. Many times Sevarius had tried to reach Brother-Captain Nero Octavian, but every time it had ended in failure. Something was clearly jamming any long-range communications. _The work of the traitorous Black Legion no doubt._

The Black Legion, the very name inspired anger in Almarich's heart. They were blasphemous traitors who had fallen from the Emperor's Grace during the dark days of the Horus Heresy. They are the sons of Horus himself, Emperor curse his name. To think that they had once been some of the mightiest heroes of the Imperium, and that they had once served the Emperor in the most glorious crusade in human history. He felt sick just thinking about them. They were everything that the Space Marines were not. They were vile and treacherous. They were essentially evil incarnate. They deserved nothing but death, and Almarich relished in the opportunity to bring it to them.

Almarich bowed his head, and asked for the Emperor to purify his mind of such dark thoughts. He had to stay focused, he had to concentrate.

Carefully Almarich picked his way up a pile of rubble that had fallen from the high ceiling above, providing a firing platform that would allow him to shoot from a shattered stained-glass window. He could see the position that Squad Sevarius had previously occupied, and the winding streets that stretched out from the square itself.

Upon reaching the top of the uneven and noticeably unstable pile of rubble, Almarich leaned against the window frame and lifted his bolter up to his shoulder, pointing the holy weapon through a hole in the broken glass. During his time in Elsalius, Almarich had seen how much the city had fallen into ruin, yet somehow the view he had now seemed to bite deeper than before.

This was no glorious Imperial city. This was a dark and hellish place, the very ruins seeping with corruption and the taint of the warp. Almarich had seen some of the surviving Imperial Guardsmen; he had seen the looks of horror and confusion on their dirty, filthy faces. They didn't understand what was happening. They could never understand. It was far beyond the mind of an inferior man to comprehend the darkness that had engulfed Luvia. The entire planet had gone insane. Its populace had mostly been slaughtered, their bodies littering the streets and their blood running like rivers through the city. When the wind picked up, there was a strong smell like burnt meat that hung in the air.

Suddenly, there was movement amongst the rubble. Almarich moved mechanically, scanning the area with his bolter and using the advanced sensors in his helmet to pick up anything moving. He could see nothing, but he knew deep in his gut that there was something there.

'Possible activity south of my position, twenty metres,' Almarich reported over the squad's vox channel.

'Understood, Brother Almarich,' came the voice of Brother Leuter.

'Enemy contact, north-west, thirty-two metres!' Brother Illich shouted.

'Defensive positions,' said Sergeant Sevarius.

Illich's bolter chattered loudly, the sound echoing around the vaulted hall of the cathedral. Brother Leuter's joined Illich, and fired several controlled bursts at the enemy.

'Approaching fast from north-west. Approximately twenty in number,' Leuter reported.

Almarich glanced back at the ruins where he was sure he had seen movement. Was there really something there? If there wasn't he should aid his brethren and hold back the attack. Yet, if there was, he would be leaving the Iron Templars' left flank exposed.

'Brother Almarich, can you confirm enemy contact at the left flank?' asked Sergeant Sevarius across the vox.

'Negative, brother-sergeant,' Almarich responded.

There was a loud crash, as the set of doors on the southern side of the cathedral were thrown open. Almarich whirled, bolter in his gauntlets. A dark-armoured Chaos Marine marched into the cathedral accompanied by four chain sword-wielding Black Legionnaires. In one bunched fist, the Chaos Marine, who Almarich supposed was some sort of Chaos champion, held something that looked like a helmet.

'Loyalist dogs,' the Chaos champion growled, 'I will take pleasure in spilling your blood as well.'

The heretic cast the helmet onto the cracked marble floor of the cathedral. The helmet's faceplate was fashioned into a skull. Almarich's blood froze. It was Chaplain Diocletian's helmet.

'You will burn, traitor,' Sergeant Sevarius snarled, thumbing the activation stud on his chain sword, 'you will burn, Emperor damn your soul!'

- - - - -

The only word Almarich could think of to describe what happened next was carnage. It was brutal, and it was bloody. Space Marine against Space Marine, loyalist against traitor, the faithful against the heretical, good against evil.

The Chaos champion unsheathed a power sword from his belt and activated it, causing powerful energies to crackle up the length of the blade. Sergeant Sevarius charged the heretic without hesitation, swinging his whirring chain sword in wide arcs around his armoured body. In a matter of seconds both Sevarius and the Black Legionnaire were exchanging a flurry of blows and parrying deadly strikes in equal measure. The other four Chaos Marines scattered into the cathedral, searching for prey. One of them saw Almarich and raced towards him, a roaring chain sword raised in a black gauntlet above his horned helmet.

Without thinking, without conscious thought, Almarich raised his bolter and shot the traitor through the chest plate, throwing him back with such force that a cloud of dust rose up around the Traitor Marine as he hit the floor. He wasn't dead though.

Almarich kept his weapon raised and advanced, firing another round that hit the fallen Black Legionnaire in the chest again. The heretic laughed like a little child. Almarich scowled and put a bolter round into its faceplate.

It stopped laughing.

Brother Pellius was firing at one of the Chaos Marines, but it was too late. Despite a bolter wound in the stomach, the traitor knocked Pellius's bolter from his hands with a sweep of his chain sword and grabbed the collar of his chest armour in a single fist. With a roar of triumph, the heretic Marine impaled Pellius on his chain sword, the weapon's serrated teeth shredding through his ancient power armour and tearing up Brother Pellius's innards.

Rage boiled up inside Almarich. He felt nothing but pure loathing for these heretics. They would pay.

Juldon swung around; the ammunition feed of his heavy bolter clattering against his leg. The Chaos Marine that had killed Pellius shouted something blasphemous and charged. Juldon held his ground, and unleashed a chain of powerful heavy bolter rounds that transformed the heretic into a bloody mess of fractured armour, splintered bone and gore.

Most of Squad Sevarius was concentrating on the enemies outside the cathedral, firing controlled volleys at the more numerous foes that drew closer with every passing minute. They couldn't reach the cathedral. If they did, all was lost.

Brother Delpheus emptied four bolter rounds into one of the Chaos Marines, throwing the traitor back several paces into a heap of rubble. The last one leapt on Delpheus and tore his bolter from his grasp.

Immediately Almarich rushed to his aid as they collided and fell, tumbling down the steps towards the rows of pews. With a growl Almarich smashed his way through the wooden benches, pushing them aside and out of his way. When he eventually came to the aisle he saw the Chaos Marine standing over Delpheus, chain sword in hand. It descended, and Delpheus reached out to stop it. The chain sword cut straight through Delpheus's arm and severed it at the elbow. Almarich fired.

The Black Legionnaire toppled backwards, and Almarich fired again and again, leaving several steaming and bloody holes in the Traitor Marine's breastplate. Almarich ran to Delpheus's side, kneeling beside him.

'Thank you, brother,' he said, 'the Emperor smiles upon you.'

'I'm afraid there's nothing that can be done for-'

Delpheus nodded. 'I know, brother, but it won't stop me from serving the Emperor.'

The wounded Space Marine patted a holstered bolt pistol at his waist.

Almarich rose to his feet and looked up at Sergeant Sevarius who was still fighting with the Chaos champion. They both seemed equal in their abilities. Where Sevarius had discipline, the Chaos champion had animalistic fury.

His eyes transfixed on the confrontation before him, Almarich climbed up the steps to where they fought, his bolter half-raised. He felt like he should interrupt, but something stayed his hand.

Their weapons locked for a moment, clattering together and scattering sparks. The Chaos champion's blade lodged itself in between the chain sword's serrated teeth and it whined in protest. They glared into each other's eyes.

'The chaplain pleaded for his life before I took off his head,' the Chaos Marine hissed.

'You speak lies, Chaos filth. Chaplain Diocletian was an honourable servant of the Emperor who knows more than anyone that it is better to die for the Emperor than to live for yourself!' Sevarius spat.

The Chaos champion laughed. 'You deluded creature!'

In an instant they pushed away from each other and their weapons were flashing left and right, so fast Almarich could barely follow.

The Black Legionnaire smashed Sevarius in the face with the hilt of his power sword, drawing blood. The sergeant's guard was wide open. It was all the Chaos champion needed. Almarich had to stop him.

His mind a blur, Almarich rushed forwards and shoulder-barged the heretic Marine just before he could drive his power sword into Sevarius's chest. Knocking the traitor off balance, he then struck the Chaos Marine across the faceplate with his bolter, sending his enemy sprawling. The power sword slipped from his black gauntlet.

Sevarius stomped across to where the Chaos champion lay. As he tried to rise, Sevarius took aim with his bolt pistol and shot the heretic in the head.

The sergeant turned to Almarich and nodded. 'Thank you, brother,' he said.

'Brother-sergeant!' Leuter shouted from behind them.

The rest of Squad Sevarius was desperately trying to keep the rest of the Chaos attackers at bay, emptying entire bolter clips to prevent the Black Legionnaires from advancing. Brother Illich was hit in the thigh and he stumbled back, slipping on rubble and eventually slamming onto his back on the marble. Almarich reloaded his boltgun and glanced at Sevarius.

'Can we hold them, brother?' he asked.

Sevarius deactivated his chain sword and hefted his bolt pistol in a single hand. 'We don't have a choice, Almarich. If we don't, we will die here.'

- - - - -

The battle had raged for several hours, with both sides exchanging salvos of bolter-fire that streaked back and forth through the ruins outside the cathedral. Eventually, both the Black Legion and the Iron Templars hunkered down into cover and the fighting died down.

Squad Sevarius had been defending Marcus Square for several days now, and ammunition supplies were depleting faster by the hour. As the light of day was slowly but surely fading, Squad Sevarius kept out of sight in the chapel, remaining ever-vigilant and still ensuring that all entrances to the cathedral were secure and covered at all times. They couldn't allow the enemy to take them by surprise, not now.

Almarich stood before the statue of Saint Joan, looking up at her beautifully sculpted face. He knew little of the planet's history, except for the legends that surrounded the Saviour of Luvia. The Adeptus Astartes never concerned itself with the saints worshipped by inferiors. They weren't deemed important. The Space Marines worshipped their founding Primarch, and above all, the God-Emperor of mankind.

Yet, somehow Almarich found himself drawn to this golden statue. He found himself turning to it now, at a time when he is troubled. Was she here with them in the cathedral? Was she looking over Squad Sevarius, preserving Almarich's brethren and protecting them from the darkness that surrounded them? He was unsure, but there was one thing he certainly was sure of. The Emperor had been with them this day. Whether Saint Joan had too, he would never know.

'She is described as an angelic warrior who had brought hope to the demoralised defenders of Luvia. Although she was killed, the Imperial Guard regiments on the planet were rallied and fought with renewed vigour. It took many more years of fighting, but eventually order was restored. The rebels and heretics were crushed and Luvia returned to the hands of the Imperials,' said Sergeant Sevarius from behind Almarich.

The sergeant stepped up beside Almarich and stared up at the statue of Saint Joan. 'An example to us all, perhaps?'

'Perhaps,' said Almarich, 'but as a Space Marine I do not distract myself with such inferior figures of worship.'

'Spoken like a true warrior of the Iron Templars, Almarich,' said Sevarius with a smile. 'Yet you find yourself drawn to her?'

Almarich bowed his head. 'I find myself here before her in this dark hour…' he looked up at Saint Joan again. 'I have not lost faith in the Emperor, or in my duties to Him but… I appear to have lost faith in myself,' said Almarich.

'And you wonder if she can restore that for you?' Sevarius asked.

'Just standing here in this cathedral, just being in her presence,' he gestured to the statue, 'I feel something within me. I feel like she is healing the damage, infusing me with hope once again.'

'I suspect that the loss of Chaplain Diocletian is the cause for your lack of hope?'

'He was courageous and a true warrior of the Emperor. It angers me to know that those vile traitors had taken his life,' said Almarich, clenching his fists and scowling as he remembered the Chaos champion throwing down the chaplain's helmet on the marble floor.

Sevarius nodded. 'He will be missed.'

Both Almarich and the sergeant bowed their heads. They had already taken time to mourn for the chaplain, but his loss still affected the squad. He had been an inspirational figure of zeal and righteousness, and now he was gone Almarich felt as if his hope had diminished.

**Planet Luvia, Elsalius,**

**The Cathedral of Saint Joan, Marcus Square**

**23:47 [Imperial Standard**

A deathly silence hung over Marcus Square, only punctuated by the distant thunder of artillery that lit the night sky. Smoking impact craters littered the square, surrounding the ancient statue of the Imperial hero, who still stood despite the carnage that had ensued around him. The wind whistled through the abandoned and crumbling ruins around the square. A torn banner displaying the Imperial Aquilla that hung on a ruined wall across the square fluttered and flapped in the breeze.

_The calm before the storm. _

Brother Almarich Daceus rested against the frame of a stained-glass window, crouched on an unsteady mound of rubble. The glass itself, which had once been a stunning work of art, was now a few shattered shards and fragments of coloured glass.

Squad Sevarius had maintained several hours now of utter quiet. Almarich and his brethren barely moved, frozen at their positions, bolters at the ready at all times. For a moment Almarich wondered what they were feeling. In the face of a more numerous foe, they had prevailed. Despite the darkness that surrounded them, they were still here, still standing before the statue of Saint Joan and still under the eternal gaze of the Immortal Emperor. Righteous fury still burned in their hearts. While there was still a single breath in their bodies Squad Sevarius would not falter. They would stand firm and fight until death took them.

The Emperor was with them, and they were invincible.

Almarich's attention was momentarily distracted by a fork of lightning that flashed on the horizon, followed by a deep, rumble of thunder. It wasn't long before droplets of rain pattered against the stone walls of the cathedral, and tapped against the blasted rockcrete outside. Water fell in through a large hole in the ceiling, splashing against broken pews.

The final test of Squad Sevarius's faith and strength was coming. Night had fallen, and in the darkness the forces of evil mustered.

The bolter chattered loudly, buckling in Almarich's grasp as he fired. Bracing himself against the window frame, Almarich gunned down one of the heretical Black Legionnaires that was advancing on the cathedral with great of satisfaction. He adjusted his aim and brought another traitor down, striking the Chaos Marine several times in the chest.

The Black Legion was assaulting the cathedral on all sides. Dark armoured Traitor Marines marched across the square, laughing as the storm of bolter-fire cut them down. Yet still they came on, stepping over the corpses of the fallen and bellowing blasphemous litanies to their gods.

As if the Emperor Himself was guiding his hand, Almarich cut a bloody swathe through the approaching heretics. His soul was alight with anger, pure hatred for the servants of Chaos.

_The blasphemy of Chaos is such that only one solution is acceptable: to purge it in all its myriad forms. _

He felt no fear. He felt no remorse. He felt nothing, except for his faith in the Emperor and the undiluted loathing of his enemy. They could not be allowed to survive, and never would Almarich suffer the existence of the heretic. Not now, not ever.

There was a scream over the vox, which Almarich knew belonged to Brother Larynz.

_No man died in His service that died in vain._

'Brother Juldon, take Larynz's position!' Sevarius shouted over the cacophony of bolter-fire.

In response to the sergeant's order, Almarich heard the chugging of Juldon's heavy bolter. It roared as it tore through the Black Legionnaires, shredding their twisted armour and spraying their blood across the ruins.

Still they came on.

Delpheus, clutching at his bolt pistol in his single hand, joined his brethren in repelling the Chaos attack. Every weapon Squad Sevarius possessed was aimed at the Black Legion. Brother Leuter hurled a fragmentation grenade through a stained-glass window, which was followed by a loud boom and howls of agony.

Almarich ejected the spent clip from his bolter and slammed in a fresh one. He lifted the holy weapon to his shoulder and shot down another Chaos Marine. Muttering verses from the Iron Templars' Litanies of Hate, Almarich killed and killed and killed. He would never stop, not until his boltgun slipped from his hands and he was granted the Emperor's Peace.

Something hit the doors of the cathedral with such force that they rocked on their hinges. Sergeant Sevarius strode down the aisle of pews, chain sword and bolt pistol in hand and a scowl upon his face. The door shuddered again.

'We commend our souls to the Emperor, brothers,' said Sevarius over the vox, his voice projected into the ears of all the surviving members of Squad Sevarius. 'Let the story of our sacrifice burn across history like a shooting star! Let us pray that one day there will be a reckoning, when our brethren will come and purge the souls of these Chaos fiends clean. For the glory of the Imperium! For the glory of the Chapter! For the Immortal Emperor!'

There was a loud crash of metal on stone and the shattering of glass. As Almarich turned he saw massive black pincers, like the claws of a gigantic crustacean. They opened and closed with a metallic snap, tearing down the ancient wall of the cathedral.

One of the pincers reached out and sheared Brother Illich in two.

The wall crumbled and fell apart as a monstrous machine entered the cathedral. It cracked the marble floor with its four, spiked legs. A huge cannon jutted from its torso, the muzzle designed like the face of leering daemon. Chains and barbed hooks hung from its limbs, and skulls adorned its body.

Sergeant Sevarius turned, and was gazing up at the daemon engine, his bolt pistol and chain sword lowered by his side. His weapons were useless against such a machine. It lumbered forwards, scattering fragments of masonry and marble.

Almarich noticed that a metal, helmeted head had been fashioned onto the top of the daemon machine's torso, its eyes glowing with warp fire. Long horns protruded from the sides of the helmet, and the seven-pointed star was emblazoned on the faceplate.

It was terrible to behold, a machine fuelled by the stuff of Chaos. Almarich had heard of such daemon engines being used by the forces of Chaos. Bound within the thing's body was a powerful daemon. He remembered it being described as an unholy perversion of the blessed Space Marine dreadnoughts. They could cleave through the hull of a Rhino transport tank with their pincers and tear down fortifications with their battle cannons. They could cut down infantry with the deadly array of weapons mounted onto their bodies.

Looking upon the monstrous daemon engine, Almarich knew that this was the end for Squad Sevarius. It was their last hour, to die under the gaze of Saint Joan in her sacred cathedral.

_But by the grace of the God-Emperor we will die with righteous fury in our hearts and our bolters in our hands. _

Then the daemon engine raised one of its pincers and smashed Sergeant Sevarius into the ground.

- - - - -

As the sergeant was crushed beneath the mechanical claw of the daemon engine, Almarich felt all the anger and despair, all the rage and anguish boil over and erupt with all the force of a furious volcano.

His bolter roared as Almarich pumped round after round into the armoured hull of the daemon engine. They clattered harmlessly against the tainted and tortured metal, but still Almarich continued to fire.

Brother Juldon, Brother Leuter and Brother Delpheus, the last survivors of Squad Sevarius, added their firepower. The daemon engine turned towards Leuter, who was the closest. The Iron Templar dived aside as a massive pincer descended and smashed into the marble floor. With its other claw it swept the Space Marine off the ground and hurled him across the cathedral, only for him to slam into the opposite wall with a loud, sickening crunch.

Almarich and Delpheus backed towards the altar, continuously firing as they went, emptying entire clips into the machine. Juldon held his ground, shouting the Litany of Purification. The monstrous machine's hull-mounted twin-linked autocannon barked twice. Both high calibre rounds punched through Juldon's breastplate. Yet he still lived.

The daemon engine stomped forwards, splintering pews beneath its tread. Almarich cried out in warning, but Juldon couldn't move.

It took Juldon up in one of its pincers, lifting him high into the air. With its other pincer, it began the messy process of ripping Juldon apart. His blood dripped from the claws of the daemonic machine as it removed his limbs first before taking off his head. When its bloody work was done, it opened its pincer and let the remains drop to the floor below.

Almarich's blood froze in his veins. Delpheus was completely silent, staring up at the daemon engine.

It had butchered Squad Sevarius in a matter of minutes. It had murdered Almarich's brethren with ease. They were the only two left, out of a squad of ten. There was nothing Almarich could do, except pray that the Emperor would somehow intervene. After the brave sacrifice of Brother-Chaplain Diocletian, after the deaths of his noble battle brothers, after the hours of fighting, this was how it was to end. To stand helpless before a daemonic machine.

The monstrous thing climbed the steps up to the altar, its engine letting out a low bestial growl as it drew closer. It took a moment for Almarich to realise that he lowered his bolter.

Delpheus levelled his bolt pistol at the daemon engine and fired, charging the gigantic machine.

'For the Emperor!' he cried.

The daemon engine reached out and grabbed Delpheus in one of its pincers. There was a loud metallic snap as the pincers closed, slicing Delpheus in half. Almarich muttered a prayer of protection and backed against the altar.

The marble fractured under the legs of the daemon engine as it lumbered closer. Eventually Almarich found himself standing with mere metres separating him and the daemon engine. He could feel the evil and the corruption seeping off the machine, and he could hear a whispering voice in his head.

The eyes of the machine's head glowed.

Almarich had served the Immortal Emperor of mankind for as long as he could remember. He had battled across a hundred worlds against all manner of foes. He had crusaded against the enemies of the Emperor, and he had pledged to give his life for the glory of the Imperium. He had survived wounds that would have killed an inferior man three times over. He had bested an ork in close combat. Together with Squad Sevarius he had purged Bunker 428. He had assisted in the defence of Jarnus Prime against the endless tide of the tyranids. He had defended a holy Imperial relic against dark eldar raiders. He had been part of the relief force that had liberated the city of Tectis. He had taken part in boarding actions during the naval battle for the Asuri System. He had hunted down and destroyed the eldar on the verdant jungle world of Elkar. He had fought shoulder to shoulder with the Imperial Fists in the defence of the desert world Dannus.

After what some would consider to be a lifetime of war and conflict, it was to end here. There was nothing he could do. He had fulfilled his duty. It was the Emperor's will.

The daemon engine drew even closer, lowering its body to look down at Almarich with its metal head. Pure evil filled its glimmering eyes. He could almost feel the bound daemon looking into his soul. The thought disgusted Almarich.

As he glared upon this unholy machine, Almarich knew that he could not give it the satisfaction of taking his life so easily. He was one of the Emperor's finest. He was a Space Marine of the Iron Templars.

In the name of Holy Terra he would not throw down his arms before this daemonic machine. He would not shrink in the face of evil.

One last time, Almarich raised his bolter to his shoulder, aiming for the daemon engine's head. It didn't seem to acknowledge this small act of defiance, but Almarich didn't care. All he could feel was his undying faith in the Emperor.

_Only in death does duty end. _

The bolter shuddered violently in Almarich's grasp, its bright muzzle flash lighting up the darkness of the night and casting a golden glow across the black metal of the daemon machine.

Battle Brother Almarich Daceus of the Iron Templars Chapter didn't even notice as the machine lifted up a claw, but was vaguely aware of something large descending upon him just moments before it crushed him and he was granted the Emperor's Peace.


End file.
